Co-organized by the Italian Society for International Organization and Nizami Ganjavi International Centre the event brought together participants under the motto “Addressing\Radicalisation and extremism with interfaith dialogue for peace: what works?”.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, President of the Italian Senate Pietro Grasso, former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, former Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, former Romanian President Emil Constantinescu, former Polish President Bronisław Komorowski, former Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and former Serbian President Boris Tadic also attend the meeting.

George Ivanov in his address pointed out that if we want to have peace in the world we must build coexistence or to mutually respect and accept own differences, emphasising that through honest dialogue should acquaint of and respect the diversities.

Integration with assimilation, poverty and lack of deeper meaning and belonging to the West, are the three main reasons for modern radicalism and extremism and what complicates interfaith dialogue, Ivanov added, is the abuse of religion by state actors who use their power for their positions to be accepted.

Co-Chairs of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, Ismael Serageldin and Vaira Vike Freiberga made speeches at the event.

Nizami Ganjavi International Center was created with the multiple aims of preserving the reach cultural heritage of the past as well as encouraging and fostering current scholarship, research, cultural activity and social outreach, with aim to be a center of excellence for the production of knowledge and to be a place of dialogue and understanding between cultures and people.